The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of video game delivery systems and more specifically relates to an improved streaming video game delivery system comprising user-friendly game filtering and parental restriction settings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video games are played by both young and old gamers from all walks of life all across the globe. To appeal to the gaming masses, there are multitudes of gaming consoles a gamer may select from, each with unique characteristics that appeal to gamers of all types. Video games are constantly being released for each different type of console, providing countless hours of joy for those who enjoy playing video games.
Many individuals prefer to rent video games, as opposed to buying them, because many individuals will not play the game after they have made it to the end of the last level. Further, purchased games may tend to clutter the residence. It may be rather expensive, however, to pay fees on each individual game rented. Also, most rented video games have to be returned within a specific time. If the game is not returned in time, the renter might be subjected to a late fee. This may end up being costly and inconvenient. It is desired to have a more user-friendly format for renting games.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,041 to Raoul Mallart; U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,669 to Robert V. Wells et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,563 to Kaori Endo et al; and U.S. Pub. Nos. 2009/0119736 to Stephen G. Perlman et al; and 2011/0157196 to Itay Nave et al; and 2009/0198486 to Shih Chieh Chang. This prior art is representative of video gaming systems. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a video game delivery system should provide a user with instant access to a plurality of video game application files, and, yet would be customizable as to restrict access to mature-rated games by young children, operate reliably, and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a Game Flicz system for providing a central game delivery server which may host a secure database of video game application files for instant access by a verified user of the system via the user's gaming console, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.